1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles may be equipped with an adjustable steering column assembly for adjusting a position of a steering wheel to enhance the comfort and safety for a user within a passenger compartment. For example, the assembly includes a column jacket moveable in a telescoping direction for moving the steering wheel closer to and away from the user. Also, the column jacket may move in a tilting direction for moving the steering wheel up and down relative to the user. These features cooperate to enable the user to adjust the steering wheel to a desired, convenient position for operating the vehicle and for moving the steering wheel out of the way to provide greater access to getting into and out of the driver's seat of the vehicle.
A lever is coupled to the column jacket and is moveable between a set position for preventing movement of the column jacket in at least one of the telescoping and tilting directions and an adjustable position for allowing movement of the column jacket in at least one of the telescoping and tilting directions. However, the lever rotation is large when moving between the set and adjustable positions and due to the limited space within the passenger compartment causes the lever to rotate to an inconvenient position for the user.
A locking device is coupled to the lever and moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position in response to rotation of the lever between the set and adjustable positions, respectively. The locking device includes a rake bolt coupled to the lever and extending above or below the column jacket. Having the rake bolt above or below the column jacket causes the assembly to be bulky and consume additional space within the passenger compartment.
The locking device further includes a first disk and a second disk coupled to the rake bolt and a plurality of pins disposed between the first and second disks and moveable between the locked and unlocked position. The pins include a first end defining a first contact point and a second end defining a second contact point. When the pins move to the locked position, the first and second contact points engage the first and second disks to create a point load force on the first and second ends. The first and second ends of the pins wear out as the pins move between the locked and unlocked positions in response to the user's changing preferences which decreases the point load force and reduces the life of the locking device.